Entrepreneurship: Company Information
Private Companies
It can be hard to find information on private companies as they only report to the IRS and that information is not public.
- Hoover's Academic This link opens in a new windowInformation about industries, companies, and leading executives.
- Data Axle (formerly Reference Solutions and Reference USA) This link opens in a new windowOffers verified details of 14 million U.S. businesses and 210 millions U.S. residents.
Industry Ratios are a great way to evaluate your company's or any company's performance with industry averages. These are the best industry ratio resources:
Electronic:
Paper
- RMA Annual Statement Studies (BIC Ref HF 5681 .B2 R6)
- Almanac of Business and Industry Financial Ratios (BIC Ref HF 5681 .R25 A45)
Tip: Many company databases (public/private) will give some ratios.
News sources such as magazines, journals, newspaper, business journals, and company web sites can be excellent sources of information such as sales figures, number of employees, new customers, and major events. Look for quotes by officers or industry insiders.
Public Companies
Public company databases get their information from the required filings that companies must make to the SEC. Information is only updated when filings are done. One nice feature of these databases is they allow you to pull up a list of companies in the same industry using either SIC or NAICS Codes.
- Business Insights: Essentials This link opens in a new windowProfiles of companies and industries, with the ability to compare different companies. Includes reference materials, company fundamentals and histories, investment information, research reports, industry rankings, market reports, and news and journal coverage. Some limited information about private corporations.
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new windowFull text of scholarly business journals covering management, economics, finance, accounting, international business and other business-related disciplines.
- Hoover's Academic This link opens in a new windowInformation about industries, companies, and leading executives.
- Marketline Advantage This link opens in a new windowFormerly Datamonitor 360, Market Line profiles major companies, industries and countries. Content is provided by a team of analysts, drawing on primary and secondary research.
- Mergent Online This link opens in a new windowEasy-to-access current and historical annual reports on 10,000 U.S. public companies.
- Investext This link opens in a new windowInvestext "offers authoritative analysis of companies, industries, products and countries. Active and historical research reports are available from more than 1,700 brokerages, investments banks and independent research firms around the globe, including Barclays, Credit Suisse, J.P. Morgan, UBS and Deutsche Bank (Mergent)."